The Lack Of Frets And The European Lute - 1829 Words

The Oud is a pear-shaped instrument predominantly used in the Middle East and the North African countries. The instrument is also characterized by the presence of the strings. The Oud is linked to the evolution of the modern Oud and the European lute. These two instruments are quite different, but they share a common ancestor. The only difference in between the two musical instruments is the fact that they evolved from the common ancestors using different diverging or evolution paths. The distinguishing feature of the Oud is the aspect of the lack of frets and the presence of a smaller neck. The old prototypes of the Oud are quite different from the modern types of the instruments. In the ancient Egypt, the instrument appeared to have a mixed variety of the long and short-necked Oud. (Mideast Web - Middle East Musical Instruments - The Oud)Though from a closer look and the analysis of the features of the modern and the old Oud, it is clearly evident that the ancient Egypt Oud appears to be much decorated. The name of the instrument is unique. The origin of the name has no positive affirmation that the name was borrowed or a certain source of the name Oud. Though it has been linked with two Arabic explanations. In Arabic, the al-oud refer to the plectrum made up of the wood used in the playing of the Oud. Also, the term also applied to the wooden soundboard that was quite distinctive from the other similar kind faced bodies. Furthermore, the name Oud can be of ArabicShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Evolution of the Modern Guitar1568 Words   |  7 Pagesguitar. The four course guitar was popular throughout the lute dominated Europe. It was a small bodied guitar and consisted of ten frets. Those frets were not the kind that of the fixed variety, but instead were movable since they were made out of gut and tied around the neck. The back of the instrument tended to be slightly rounded with a distinct ridge up the center like the hull of a boat. The achieved the feat of phasing out the lute, even if it was only temporarily, but soon its popularity started